‘Game of Thrones': Did Bran Stark Cause the Mad King’s Downfall?

(Spoiler alert: Please do not read on if you haven’t watched Sunday’s episode of “Game of Thrones”)

When Bran (played by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) made his return to HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” there were fan jokes about who this strange, unknown paraplegic teenager was. We had last seen the Stark lad as a bushy-haired child back in Season 4. Now, after disappearing for a whole season, he’s back to travel into the past, discover his true potential … and get the fan favorite Hodor most likely killed thanks to his stupidity.

But as sad as it is to see the gentle giant formerly known as Wylis meet a terrible demise, he had one last shocking truth to impart to viewers before he left. As it turns out, Bran is also responsible for scrambling Hodor’s brain. When Bran’s reckless greenseeing brought the White Walkers to the Raven’s hideout, he uses his Warg powers to take control of Hodor so he can bring the fight to the ice creatures.

Bran has used this power multiple times to use Hodor as a weapon, since his friend was too afraid to fight on his own. This time, though, he Wargs into Hodor while he’s greenseeing into the past.

As a result, he unknowingly builds a psychic link between present-day Hodor and Hodor as a child. The Hodor of the past hears Meera Reed yelling “Hold the door” in the present, which twists his mind to the point that he can only say a shortened version of that command for the rest of his life: Hodor.

We learn that Bran can do more than travel back into the past. He can have a direct impact on it. Now, just as Tyrion’s ability to talk to dragons in the second episode brought credence to the fan theory that believes he is a Targaryen, this revelation of Bran’s potential power has some fans believing that he is the one that unwittingly set the events of the entire series into motion.

In Episode 3, Bran took his first journey back in time to see his father, Ned, fight the last of Aerys Targaryen’s Kingsguard. At the end of the vision, he yelled out to Ned, and though it was a vision, Ned seemed to look back as if he could hear his future son’s voice. Indeed, it seems that people in the past can hear Bran, but only in small whispers.

According to one fan theory, Bran’s whispers are what drive the Mad King Aerys to madness. As anyone knowledgeable on Westeros lore knows, the campaign to depose the Targaryens began when he killed Ned Stark’s father and brother, Rickard and Brandon, with fire. Aerys was known for repeatedly saying “burn them all.”

According to the theory, the reason why Aerys keeps repeating that phrase is because Bran traveled back and tried to warn him of the approaching White Walkers. Instead, the whispers only heightened Aerys’ already uncontrollable paranoia, leading him to kill the Starks and start the cycle of warfare that still continues in Westeros.

There are some even wilder theories that suggest that Bran has had an even greater impact on the past. Bran shares his name with many legendary Brandon Starks throughout the history of his house. The most famous of these is Bran the Builder, the architect of The Wall. One fan on a subreddit for “A Song of Ice and Fire” suggests that all of the great achievements by these Brans were made possible because the current Bran influenced them through whispers.

The major piece of evidence for this theory comes from George R.R. Martin‘s first book, in which it’s noted that Bran’s caretaker, Old Nan, would sometimes speak to Bran as if he were one of his ancestors. The passage reads: “She had lived so long, Mother had told him once, that all the Brandon Starks had become one person in her head.”

We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to just how much influence Bran can have over the past, but given his tendency to ignore the advice of wiser people and his irresponsible use of his powers thus far, there’s a good chance that we could see Bran foolishly attempt to change the past, only to close time loops that lead to events already set in stone.

This theory is one of several proposed by fans about what kinds of twisty things Bran might have been involved with in the past. For more, check out our gallery of fan theories below.

24 Big 'Game of Thrones' Fan Theories for Season 7 and Beyond (Photos)

In this list, we take a look at what kind of fan theories, both wacky and realistic, folks have come up with that might reveal both the past and the future. Spoilers for all of "Game of Thrones" thus far and maybe the remainder of the show.

The idea here is that the Mad King Aerys raped Joanna Lannister (in the books it's said that he had a thing for her) and that's where Tyrion came from. So Tywin's total hatred for the dude has deeper motivations than just that Joanna died giving birth to him or that he's a dwarf.

The idea here is that since Jon's parents are actually Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen -- meaning Ned Stark is NOT his father -- Jon and Sansa are cousins instead of siblings and nobody would think it's weird if they got together to solidify their hold on the North. Or maybe even to lay claim on all of Westeros.

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Prince Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell was secretly annulled

The standard story of Robert's Rebellion says that events were set in motion when Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna Stark. We know also that Jon Snow is Rhaegar and Lyanna's kid, and there's reason to believe the kidnapping was not actually a kidnapping. But what if also Rhaegar was actually married to Lyanna? In fact, this one was confirmed in the Season 7 episode "Eastwatch," when Gilly discovered the files of High Septon Maynard, who served under the Mad King. He noted that he annulled Rhaegar's marriage, and then married him to someone else. As fans expected, that sounds like Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell was annulled, and he was married to Lyanna -- which would make Jon Snow Rhaegar's trueborn son and heir.

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Jon Snow is Azor Azhai aka the Warrior of Light aka the Prince That Was Promised

It seems obvious (too obvious?) at this point that Jon and his Valyrian steel sword is the one who will lead human forces into battle, and to victory, against the White Walkers. And even Melisandre believes it -- though only after years of claiming it was Stannis and accidentally leading him to ruin. So "Game of Thrones" may yet pull another "Game of Thrones" on us in that regard by proving this theory wrong.

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Actually, Jaime Lannister is the real Prince That Was Promised

This one involves the assumption that some words were translated wrong in the prophecy of the one who would save the world from the White Walkers -- according to the intrepid fan who came up with this theory, the Valyrian words for "lord" and "light" are curiously similar to the words for "gold" and "hand." And who's the only character on "Game of Thrones" with a gold hand? None other than Ser Jaime.

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The Night King is the 'last hero' of legend

We're learning a lot about the rules of the White Walkers in Season 7, but one fan theory posits the Night King was actually created much later, as a means of stopping them. Instead of being the first White Walker, the Night King is actually "the last hero," the guy credited with leading the charge to stop the Walkers thousands of years ago during the Long Night. Given that some think the last hero is the Westerosi version of the Azor Ahai myth, this idea would add some twists to the Night King as a character.

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Or Wait, Maybe Davos is the Prince Who Was Promised

There's an argument to be made that it's Davos Seaworth who's actually Azor Azhai. One eagle-eyed Redditor put together a theory suggesting that Davos fulfills at least a good chunk of the prophecy. A big part comes from the argument that it's Davos, and not Melisandre, who revives Jon Snow. If you interpret a lot of the prophecy as metaphorical, Davos matches up to with a lot of it.

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Missandei is a Faceless Man

The Faceless Men are surely going to have a big part to play in the endgame of "Game of Thrones" considering Arya's whole arc these past two seasons, but they haven't been directly involved at all so far. Or maybe they have? Missandei has ridiculous language skills and a nearly-always-consistent tone of voice -- these are Faceless Men traits.

Like Cersei, dear ole Petyr Baelish probably feels like he has nothing to lose now, with Catelyn long since dead and her daughter apparently spurning his advances after he got her into that horrific mess with Ramsay. But he still has one huge ambition -- to rule Westeros. After that face he made at Sansa in the season 6 finale, it would likely surprise exactly no one if he marched the Knights of the Vale south and attempted to form a union with Cersei. And she'll need the help with Daenerys knocking at her door.

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Sam is the one who will figure out how to beat the White Walkers

There's gotta be a reason why Sam is going to start season 7 down at the Citadel instead of any of the places where stuff happens. Our guess is he's going to figure out what the Walkers' thermal exhaust port is. That's not a butt joke -- it's a "Star Wars" reference.

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Bran will accidentally let the White Walkers through the Wall

There's a line of thought that when the Night King touch Bran in his dream while he was up at the Three-Eyed Raven's cave, it made it so the Walkers could pass any magical barrier separating him from them. And guess what the largest magical barrier of them all is? The Wall, according to Uncle Benjen.

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Cersei, the Mad Queen

With no children left to protect and war looming with Daenerys, it sure is easy to envision Cersei going full psycho this year. So much of what happens on "Game of Thrones" is history repeating itself -- and with Dany working very hard to avoid fulfilling her father's Mad legacy, Cersei, by contrast, probably isn't going to hold naything back anymore.

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Jaime will kill Cersei

Way back in the day, Cersei and a pal visited a witch who told her she would be queen until a younger and more beautiful woman cast her down (Margaery?), after which she would be killed by "the valonqar," which translates to "the little brother." That could be Tyrion, or her twin Jaime, who was born moments after Cersei. Others previously also thought it might be Tommen, as a very delicious "Game of Thrones" twist -- but obviously Tommen isn't going to be killing anybody after jumping out that Red Keep window.

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Actually, Cersei will kill Jaime

The longer Season 7 goes on and the more moves Cersei makes, the more it seems that she's ruthless enough to do what her brother can't. Jaime has been growing softer and more merciful for years, ever since he spent all that time with Brienne of Tarth. Cersei even warned him in Season 7 Episode 6 not to ever betray her again. Jaime's quickly becoming a liability, but his love for Cersei means he can't really turn on her. Especially with her new pregnancy talk, it seems like she's manipulating and maneuvering Jaime.

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Euron Greyjoy is a warlock

A lot of little details in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books that make rising Westeros supervillain Euron Greyjoy even spookier haven't made their way into the show yet, but they still could. One is a series of clues that suggests Euron could be a warlock like those that Dany encountered in Qarth at the House of the Undying. In the book, Euron is described as having pale blue lips because he's been drinking Shade of the Evening, the favorite drink of the warlocks. He also says some cryptic lines that suggest he might be controlling, or think he's controlling, storms. If he does indeed have some cool magical powers from his time spent in Qarth, it would make Euron a more formidable enemy -- especially because it would give him incentive to try to take the dragons from Dany, since the warlocks previously said the presence of dragons amplifies their powers.

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Bran made the Mad King go mad

When Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven traveled back to the events outside the Tower of Joy in the May 8 episode, Bran was apparently able to shout and be heard by the younger version of his father, Ned Stark. What if, going back further, the "whispers" that the Mad King Aerys Targaryen heard were simply Bran trying to talk to him and it was actually he who set in motion the events of the show?

The events of season 6, episode 5 -- in which Bran sees a fleeting vision of the Mad King -- seem to indicate this is very possible.

After Episode 6 of Season 7, "Beyond the Wall," fans thought they caught sight of something weird going on with Longclaw, Jon Snow's Valyrian steel sword. When Jon emerges from the frozen lake, some say it looks like the eyes on the sword's wolf head pommel open. Could there be something more going on with Longclaw than we yet know? According to the episode's director, Alan Taylor, the answer is no. Then again, it could all be misdirection to throw fans off the scent.

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Bran travels to the past and is Bran the Builder, who built the Wall and founded House Stark.

Bran the Builder is a legendary figure who led the effort to put up the Wall 8,000 years before the events of the show, after the Long Night in which the White Walkers invaded the first time.The particulars of how this would work are not known, but this is a good one. Especially since Bran the Builder is who the present day Bran Stark was named after.

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Arya will become Lady Stoneheart

In the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books, Catelyn Stark doesn'ts tay dead after the Red Wedding. She's revived and becomes the silent and vengeful leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Lady Stoneheart. Since Catelyn stayed dead in the show, the idea here being that in a bit of creative license in the adaptation, Arya will function as Lady Stoneheart instead. It would be a nice payoff on all that time Arya spent with the Brotherhood back in Season 2.

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Sansa is pregnant with Ramsay Bolton's child

"I can still feel what he did in my body standing here right now,” Sansa told Jon Snow about the residual effect of Ramsay's horrific sexual abuse of Sansa. The thought, according to some fans, is that she's not simply referring to the trauma, but that she's saying she's pregnant. At this point, probably too much time has passed for this one to carry any weight, but it was an interesting idea while it lasted.

The younger Clegane, known as the Hound, really hates his older brother, the Mountain. Both were thought dead, but both are again alive. And fans believe that before the story of "Game of Thrones" ends the two will meet and finally have it out in a battle to the death.

This is a fan theory reaching back years thanks to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books, but with Gendry's return in Season 7, it's suddenly very relevant. It suggests that Gendry's blacksmith capabilities will be essential to defeating the White Walkers, because he has experience with working Valyrian steel, the magical, super-special alloy that can actually kill White Walkers. Gendry apprenticed under Tobho Mott, a master armorer from Qohor, and he's the guy who turned Ned Stark's Valyrian steel greatsword Ice into two smaller swords -- Brienne of Tarth's Oathkeeper, and King Joffrey's Widow's Wail. So while Gendry might not be able to make new Valyrian steel blades, he can still work with the stuff, a skill that is almost nonexistent in Westeros.

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The Night King is one of the dragon riders

Fans have expected two other people to ride Dany's dragons into battle alongside her, much like the Targaryens did when they first conquered Westeros. But the events of the penultimate episode of Season 7 has confirmed a longstanding theory -- that the Night King would kill one of Daenery's dragons and turn it into a wight. That actually happened, with Viserion resurrected to ride for the side of darkness. Fans have speculated that, not only is Viserion undead, but he'll actually become an ice dragon rather than a fire dragon. That would certainly even the odds some, taking away some of Daenerys' fire-breathing air superiority.

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Dragonglass is pooped out by dragons rather than just being obsidian

Does this matter? No, and we'll probably never find out anyway. But it's funny.

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What’s in store for the final two seasons of the HBO hit? Let’s see what the viewers think

In this list, we take a look at what kind of fan theories, both wacky and realistic, folks have come up with that might reveal both the past and the future. Spoilers for all of "Game of Thrones" thus far and maybe the remainder of the show.